Lymphocytes grown in culture with Interleukin-2 can retain their immune function both in the laboratory and in vivo.

“and so we try to demonstrate that uh by developing cells that could recognize what we call allo antigens that is very strong antigens that are present in one person that inhibit the ability to transplant organs for example and so our initial studies were to see whether or not we could develop lymphocytes grow them in culture and cause experimental skin grafts in mice to disappear faster we're not talking about tumor that's normal tissue and we showed that in fact we could grow lymphocytes that retain their function in the laboratory and then retain their function in vivo”

“well with the advent of interleukin-2 what had been shown was that there were some bone marrow cells could make a substance which would keep lymphocytes alive outside the body but the minute i heard about that there were a series of questions that arose well if it kept lymphocytes alive could would it keep lymphocytes alive and dividing in a format that enabled them to have all of their immune recognition uh that is as they grew would they just lose that property and so we try to demonstrate that uh by developing cells that could recognize what we call allo antigens that is very strong antigens that are present in one person that inhibit the ability to transplant organs for example and so our initial studies were to see whether or not we could develop lymphocytes grow them in culture and cause experimental skin grafts in mice to disappear faster”